Role: Lead VR Driving Simulation Engineer (2021)
Nissan needed a way to safely test next-generation augmented-reality features without injury to real pedestrians or property, so instead a virtual-reality driving simulator was needed. This allowed the engineers on their Autonomous Driving team to create the critical use-cases, synthetic environments, and choreographed behavior required to test their product prototype.
The simulator featured modular tiles, each equipped with navigation nodes, with some designed for intersections with semaphores. The driving experience exhibited the augmented-reality (AR) display Nissan was developing in response to the simulated environment, as well as collected a variety of channels of telemetry data.
The system was comprised of a Valve Index VR Headset equipped with a Leap Motion Controller, paired with a Logitech Steering Wheel and Pedal kit. The virtual wheel was synchronized with the physical wheel, and hand tracking was performed using the Leap Motion Controller.
To allow Test Designers to focus on the transit elements of the environment, an urban-themed, structure population system was developed to automate the process of filling in the non-drivable, but necessary environmental elements. Below shows an earlier prototype, however a District system, as well as Building-Part system was later introduced, which allowed for completely random, but theme-bound structures to be generated, within parameters set by the District in which they reside. This provided an automated way to populate the environment in ways that give different areas a unique visual “identity”, but also help prevent the driver from getting lost.
A custom node-network system was developed for both agent pathfinding, as well as traffic system integration. The popular A* (“A-Star”) algorithm was leveraged to allow the agents to navigate the network according to traffic laws, and other expected behaviors.
Pathfinding nodes could be marked for various agents, allowing pedestrians to remain confined to the sidewalk, while still crossing the street, and vehicular agents would queue at traffic lights.